Method of and apparatus for treating shoe parts



' Sept. '22, 1936. H DIXON I 2,054,930

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING SHOE PARTS Filed April 5, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l g /A/|/E /TUF WWI P. H. DIXON Sept. '22, 1936,

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING SHOE PARTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Filed April 5, 1935 Patented Sept. 22, 1936 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR TREAT-- ING SHOE PARTS Paul H. Dixon, Springfield, 111., assignor to United 7 Shoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson, N. J a corporation of New Jersey Application April 5, 1935, Serial No. 14,890

7 Claims.

This invention relates to the art of shoemaking and particularly to the preparationof shoe tongues prior to their being assembled with the other parts of a shoe upper.

In the preparation of shoe tongues, it is usual to cement a leather tongue piece and a fabric lining together while they are in aflatcondition, the lining piece beingpreferably slightly smaller than the leather piece. When a shoe tongue thus prepared is stitched at one end to the throat of an upper and the upper assembled upon a'last, the free end portion of the tongue is forced to conform to the sharp ridge on the instep portionof the last. Under these conditions the sharp bending of the tongue over the instep portion of the last is apt to throw the inner or lining layer into wrinkles or ridges which, unless they are laboriously removed, come .di-

rectly in contact with the wearers foot and cause discomfort. Objects of this invention are to provide d and means for preparing shoe tongues whereby any tendency of the lining to wrinkle is obviated. v

The method consists in applying. to one or both of the adjacent surfaces of a shoe tongue and its lining a coat of cement and, while the cement is still fresh or green, shaping the assembled tongue over a form having substantially 3 the transverse curvature of the instep portion of a last. Preferably the holding action is concentrated on the side portions of the upper end of the tongue, that is, the portion which is farthest from the point of attachment of the tongue to the shoe. In attachingthe lower end of a tongue thus prepared to the throat po'rtion of a vamp, the tongue can be readily flattened during the sewing. operation and tends to resume its curved shape and, when the upper is assembled upon the last, the tongue naturally assumes the shape of the forepart of the 1ast,'including the sharp transverse curvature of the ridge on the instep portion of the last, without any tendency to wrinkle."

' A preferred apparatus embodying the invention comprises a wedge-shaped form the edge of which has a curvature corresponding approximately to the transverse curvatureof the instep portion of a last and a pair of presser members normally held against the side portions of the form below its curved edge. As illustrated herein, manually operated means is provided for lifting the presser members to permit insertion of the work, the presser members being then re- 55 leased to hold the Work in shaped position over the form. The presser members may advantageously be arranged for slight rocking movement with respect to the arms which carry them so that they can conform to the surface of the 6 work against which they are pressed.

a math-- In the drawings, r r

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus, the pressing'devices being in duplicate;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the pressing'devices showing a section taken through the pressing devices, the workand the form; a

. Fig. 3 is aperspective view of theapparatus on a larger scale; and f Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a tongue after the parts are assembled but before it has been shaped. j

On a shelf or table I!) is mounted a base, I2 upon which are forms- M, l 6,one at each end. Each form is in the shape of a wedge the edge I8 of which is longitudinally straight and has a transverse curvature of short radius corresponding approximately to the transverse curvature of the instep portion of the last. Cooperating with each form are two presser members 20, 22 arranged to engage the fiat surface at opposite sides of the form adjacent to its'curved edge and preferably limited in longitudinal extent so that they engage the side portions only of that portion of the tongue whichwill be the upper half in thecompleted shoe. The presser member 2|! is provided with an ear 24 through which a rod 26 extends. Through the ear24 isthreaded a set-screw 28 the inner end of which engages, a hole in the rod 26 larger than the end of the screw so that the .presser member 26'may rock on the rod 26 to enable its pressing face to con-v form to the surface of the work against which it is pressed, the inclination of which may vary with different thicknesses of material and conditions of work. The presser member 22 is similarly mountedupon a rod 30. The rods 26 and 30 at their rear ends'pass through the ,end portions of a shaft 32 and through collars 34, each rod being held in place by a set-screw 36 threaded into a hole in the end of theshaft 32 far enough to engage the rod. The shaft 32 between its ends is journaled in a bearing 38 formed on a standard 46 secured to the base l2. The collars 34 abut the bearing 38 and prevent longitudinal movement of the shaft 32. At the front of the upright 40 the rods 26 and 30 are sleeve members 42, 44 slidingly mounted on the rods and connected together by a pin 46 about which passes a loop 48 on the upper end ,of a rod 50. The rod 50 passes loosely through a hole in the base of the standard 46 and carriesan adjustable collar 52 between which and'a loosewashe'r54 on the rod engaging the under side of the base I2 is a compression spring 56 the tension of which may be adjusted by moving the collar up and down on the rod 50. The rod 50 is clamped at 58 to a treadle rod 66 pivoted at 62 to a treadle lever 64 fulcrumed between its ends 66 to ears 68 secured to the floor. On the treadle lever 64 is a treadle 10 by depression of which the spring 56 its lower portion in latex cement with which the tank is partly filled. An inclined shaft 16 leads downwardly toward the roll and in front of the roll are bars 18 which permit any cement dripping from the work to fall back into the tank. In front of the bars 18 is an inclined shelf 88 similar to the shelf 16. v

In the use of the apparatus a leather tongue blank A (Fig. 4) may be laid upon the table II) and a suitable lining blank B drawn across the cement-applying roll 14 by which a small amount of cement is applied to the blank since the blank hits only the high points of the knurled surface of the roll. The lining blank is located in proper relation to the tongue blank and, after depression of for example, the treadle 10, the assembled blanks are placed onthe form M with the leather tongue blank uppermost. 'I'he treadle'is then released and the action of the spring 56' moves the presser members 20, 22 downwardly to engage the tongue blank and bend its side portions down over the form l4 into conformity with its surface. If desired, the tongue blank may be drawn over the roller to apply cement thereto and then the liningblank assembled with it, either with or without applying cement thereto. The work is allowed to remain in this condition until another tongue blank and lining blank have been cemented, assembled and shaped over the form l6. Since only a minimum amount of cement is applied to the parts, they do not need to remain under pressure very long for the cement to set sufliciently to hold the parts together and in the shape imparted to them by the form. Of course, when the tongue and lining are placed upon the form, the cement between them is fresh and when the presser members engage the parts to shape them over the form the engaging surfaces of the two parts may move relatively to each other to adapt themselves to the shape of the form without the formation of wrinkles and when the cement has set the assembled tongue retains the form given to it, especially at the upper portion where the pressure of the members 20, 22 is applied, this upper portion being the portion which engages the more sharply curved portion of the instep of the last; The lower portion of the tongue may be flattened in the operation of sewing it to. the throat of the vamp, but since this portion of the tongue engages a less sharply curved portion of the last than the upper portion of the tongue there is no danger of the formation of wrinkles in this portion of the tongue when the upper is placed upon the last. I

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. That improvement in methods of preparing tongues for incorporation into shoe uppers which consists in applying cement to one or both of the surfaces of a tongue blank and a lining blank which are to be adjacent to each other, assembling the tongue blank and lining blank with the cement between them, placing the assembled blank upon a formhaving substantially the trans- ,verse shape of the instep portion of a last, and

pressing the side portions of the tongue against the form until the cement has set sufficiently to retain the blanks in the shape imparted to them.

2. An apparatus for shaping tongues having, in combination, a wedge-shaped form having a irounded edge, presser members mounted for movement'in paths substantially parallel to the longitudinal median plane of the form to cooperate with the inclined sides of the form, means for holding the presser members in engagement with the form, and means for lifting the presser members from the form.

3. An apparatus for shaping tongues having, in. combination, 'a wedge-shaped form having a rounded upper edge, presser members mounted for movement heightwise of the form to engage the inclined sides of the form, means for moving the presser members toward thejform', and manually operated means for lifting the presser members away from the form.

4. An apparatus for shaping tongues having, in combination, a wedge-shaped form having a rounded upper edge, presser members mounted for movement in paths parallel to the longitudinal median plane of the form to engage the inclined sides of the form adjacent to its edge, a spring normally holding the presser members in pressing position, and means for lifting the presser 'members against the tension of the spring. V

5. An apparatus for shaping tongues having, in combination, a wedge-shaped form having a rounded upper edge, a pair of arms extending longitudinally of the form, a fixed standard adjacent to one end of the form to which the arms are pivoted for movement about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal median. line of the form, a treadle connection to the arms between the form and the standard for'raising the arms, a spring for depressing the arms, and presser members carried by the arms and adapted to engage the inclined side portions of the form as the arms are moved heightwise of the form.

6. An apparatus for shaping tongues having, in combination, a wedge-shaped form supported on its wide end and having a rounded upper edge, a pair of arms extending longitudinally of the form and arranged for pivotal movement heightwise of the form, a treadle connection to the arms for raising the arms, a spring for depressing the arms, and presser members carried by the arms and adapted to engage a tongue placed on the form.

'7. An apparatus for shaping tongues having, in combination, a wedge-shaped form having a rounded edge; a pair of arms extending longitudinally of the form and having a common pivot adjacent to one end of the form, said pivot confining movement of the arms to planes parallel to and located on each side of the longitudinal median plane of the form, a treadle connection to the arms for raising the arms, a spring for depressing the arms, and presser members loosely carried by the arms and adapted to engage the side portions of the form adjacent to the rounded edge.

'PAUL I-I. DIXON. 

